I moved.  I now have 3 times the space for the same amount of money. For three months. :)  I also live with my landlords, who are two girls a bit younger than I, which is a bit of an odd dynamic. But a better dynamic than living with girls who smoke up the apartment with greasy cooking or pot smoking, who have fleas, who eat all my food, or who bring a different guy to the apartment every week... 

I am still waiting to hear from two universities. Hopefully I will hear good things from them, or even at least from one of them... 

Time to start officially changing my address.  Hope everyone is doing well. 

The unusually eventful day in St. Catharines.

Only two dry days in the last fourteen = soggy ground.
Soggy loose ground + 65 kph sustained winds + up to 96 kph gusts = lots of felled trees and electrical poles, which = power outage throughout pretty much the entire city.
Also this = no work for most of Bakkers' employees...

My bike ride to work was a little bit difficult this morning, but not more than usual with just 22kph wind. But by 8.30am my crew was sent home.  I tried to bike out of the parking lot, but just couldn't manage to keep my bike upright long enough to get going, so I walked Patrick to Dee's house and even that was a difficult task. There were moments when I had to stop moving just to keep on my feet.  Had I tried to bike home chances are I would have either gotten blown over into traffic and hit by a car, or gotten squashed by a fallen tree, or even gotten electrocuted by a fallen power line.
What did I do instead?  Went to Perkins with Dee and a couple others from work where we could only get old coffee and baked goods because their power was out so their kitchen was closed.  Then we played some games in the loft and then drove around town to check out the damage and take pictures (though after the first picture the camera battery died, oops).  I ate my packed lunch at Dee's and then stayed there for supper too because I only have an electrical stove here and the only food I have that does not require cooking is cereal, whereas they have a generator... (What would I do without them?)
I spent a good share of the day fretting over the groceries I just purchased on Tuesday (most of my concern was for the ice cream, of course, of which I only had a couple spoonfuls).  I finally went home around 9, only to find that my fretting was for naught.  Not only was the house still fully intact, but also it was one of the few in the city that had power.  There is evidence to suggest that perhaps about six and a half hours ago the power did go out, but fortunately not long enough to melt my ice cream and just long enough to defrost my mini-fridge, which was on my to-do list. Nice.

Remember when flip phones where cool?

Pat and Reggie

I need to laugh and when the sun is out, I've got something I can laugh about

Reginald. That's my moped's name, thanks to Jeff. I rode him all of two weeks, if that even, before my lack of plates got me pulled over. "This is going to be an expensive day for you," was what I was told by the cop after he found out I also was without insurance and a moped license. Surprisingly enough I managed to just sit on the curb and enjoy the sunshine without shedding any tears. Equally surprising to me was that the day turned out not to be so expensive at all, for instead of a fine, the policeman just gave me a severe warning. He made certain I knew the warning was in the computer and if I got pulled over again, there would be no mercy. I walked my moped nearly 3km home that day, and thus began of my intense daily exercise of biking to and from work every day. Most of the time I don't mind it too much, but on days like today when the 30 km/h wind is against me both ways, my optimism gives way to weariness.
Yet even on this windy day, God sent a little ray of sunshine in the form of a little old man with an electric scooter. Quietly and ever so slowly, the old man overcame me on the sharpest incline of the way home, and as he approached, he looked over, smiled and then raced me up the rest of the way. My weary legs were no match for his 250W or so, but my weary soul, which wanted to indulge in self-pity, was no match for his brilliant smile and playful spirit. I hope to see him again.

The nursery is potting stuff these days. Roses, shrubs, trees... Prior to potting, the crew I am on processes these plants, which requires much handling. For some reason, the fact that I'm carrying around trees, flipping them from side to side or upside down or whatever and moving them around just seems weird to me. Trees have always been something stationary, something rooted, something immovable, except when they die and fall over or are chopped down. But at the nursery, I can just pick up a tree and toss it around. So strange to me, but of course it all makes great sense and these trees are small, but it just feels odd.

It's good to be back. :)

Good girl

I am now once again carless. Well, not entirely because I still own it, but my little Nena is now sitting on a driveway in West Olive. Moped, here I come. (I gotta name that thing.)

I just got back from a lovely trip to Grand Rapids. I have two siblings there now, so I got to see both of them and spend some quality time. But they also both have jobs and worked most mornings, so I had a good share of time to myself to read, walk, explore and hang out in East Town. I think I needed that. The week was quite relaxing and rejuvenating.

Dee was trying to convince me to skip my last day of work on Saturday so I could be at her brother's stag and doe. I didn't because I just don't have it in me to not show up at work, even on my last day at a job I don't like, so I went to work like a good girl, but made sure everyone I worked with knew how excited I was that that was my last day.. Next day as I approached the border I got a phone call from the old job saying they were a man down and when they checked the schedule, it was me who was missing. I said they must be wrong or the boss must have changed the schedule after I wrote my hours down in my planner because when I checked, Saturday was my last day, I was sure. The supervisor said, "Well, you're on tonight so..." to which I had to say, "I'm sorry, but I can't come. I'm at the Michigan border-" (from where it would take me at least an hour just to cross to turn around and another 3 hours to drive back and by that time my shift would be nearly over anyway). And here this supervisor hung up on me. HA!
So I did skip my last day of work after all, Dee. :)

Now I am back and turns out the roommie at all the food in the house, which is fine, but hasn't boughten any to replenish what she eats, which is not fine, so before I can even eat supper, I gotta go buy it. On my bicycle. I just told said roommie I don't want to share food anymore. This is going to be a great summer. :D

to coffee time and the brick house and good friends too

Now I've been happy lately, thinking about the good things to come
And I believe it could be, something good has begun

Oh, I've been smiling lately, dreaming about the world as one
And I believe it could be, someday it's going to come

Cause out on the edge of darkness, there rides a peace train
Oh, peace train take this country, come take me home again...



Cat Stevens

On a good day you can see the end from here

I found out a couple days ago that I can work at the nursery again in a couple weeks. Hooray! First chance I get I am giving my notice at Tim's. :D

I also found out today that I've been excepted to Trent University. It's my last choice of all the schools I applied to, but at least I can rest assured that I WILL go to some school this fall. :)
I also applied to two schools in Calgary today. One was a last minute decision and after I applied, I found that the deadline for the application is tomorrow. So far I have spent about $600 just applying to schools. Sick, eh?

I have a new flatmate. She is 19, unemployed, seems pretty nice, apparently is pretty clean (or so she says) and is moving in tomorrow or so. I hope she turns out okay.

My moped is going to the shop tomorrow. I hope they fix it promptly! I can't wait to ride it.
Dee comes home tomorrow, I can't wait to see her.
I have to work tomorrow, I can't wait to quit!

It's going to be a good spring.